Slip cover



Jan. Z2, 1946 f i l... c. LENZ 3939543 SLIPCOVER Filed Nov. l?, 1944 Patented Jan. 22, 1946 UNITED STATES OFFICE Lio-nei c. Lena cilicagt; n n, assignor to sain Pass, Chicago, Ill.

Application November 17, 1944,- S'erial o.

' eration of the following specification and accom- 4 ciaims.

This invention relates to improvements in furniture slip covers.

Chairs or other articles of furniture produced by different manufacturers generally Vary substantially in proportions such as in the width and length of the base of the article, size and shape of the arms and seats, the width, height and shape of the back-rest and contour of the shoulders of the latter. Such variations have presented many difliculties to' the manufacturers of ready-made slip covers designed for use onv such articles. The provision of practical means that willen'able the shoulder cover sections of slip covers to be fitted neatlyr to shoulders that vary in size and shape has been particularlydifcult especially with slip covers made of nonJ stretchy materiali.

The shoulders of certain types of chairs require that slip covers have special compartments for covering such shoulders. For example, the shoulders of wing chairs generally are such that special1 cover compartments are required. Notwithstanding tha-t a slip cover for a wing chair must' be provided with special wing cover compartments, the Wings of chairsof diierent manufacturers generally vary not only as to the height of the wings but as to the width of the Wings as well,l andI a' slipu cover made from non-stretchy material4 for use on chairs of that type frequently presentl loose, ill-tting appearance when employed on? al chair having relatively narrow wings, for example. Where a wing-chair cover snugly fits transversely across the wings and back-rest of a chain the cover material frequently spans the wing-back-rest angles instead of clinging to theupholstery, and consequently impairs the appearance of the coveredl chair.

It is an*- object of this invention to provide an improved cover having means not only for causing material to contact the surfaces of the wing and back-rest of awing-back chair and thus conformz tothe design of the chair, but to provide means whereby surplus material of the Wing cover compartments or sections can be concealed to provide a neatA iitting cover whereby a cover or a single size can4 be used on chairs that vary materially inl' the shape and sizeof the wings.

A more general' object of the invention is to provide a slip cover having means enabling the shoulder cover sections thereof to be tte'd and adjustedine'atl'y on chair shouldersthat vary sub-- stantia'lly in size and shape;

Other objects of the invention relate to various features* or construction and arrangement of parts which will be' apparent from aconsidpanying drawing wherein: Y

Figure 1 is a perspective view taken from the side and rear of awing type chair having thereon a cover embodying the present improvements.

Figure 2 isa perspective view of the chair shown in Figure 1,v as viewed from the front and side.

Figure 3` is a broken perspective view of a wing portion of a chair illustrating the adaptation of the' present wing cover compartment for adjustmenton aA wing that is relatively narrow. Y

yFigure-4 is a broken perspective View of a wing and'back-rest portion of a cover shown detached from a chair.

Figure 5 is a broken perspective view of the lower rear portionA of av` chair showing the preferred arrangement of the associated slip cover sections. A

In the drawing, numeral I (I indicates generally a wing type chair having a seat II, armsV I2 and a back-rest I3, the shoulder portions of which are in the form of wings I4. The improved cover selected for the purpose of illustrating the yinvention is of the separable arm-cover type, that isfthecover sections for theA arms of the chair arev inclosures that are separate from the remaining portions o f the cover.

In the drawing the arm cover sections are indicated' generally by theA numerals I5 and compriseinner panels I6, front panels I'I and outer or side panels I8 which are secured to the panels I6 and- I'I and are of such' length as to extend around the rear corners of thechair to overlap portions of the rear of the ,chair as indicated by dottedv lines inv Figure 1-. The rear edges of the side panels Hl are shown as provided with tie strings I9 whereby the arm cover sections I5 can be secured one to the other in positions on the chair arms.- The lower horizontal edges of the panel I'G ofthe arm cover sections are adapted tobe tucked into the crevices 20 between the seat II and the arms I2;` s

TheV chair cover includes a front panel 2I for covering the'front or the chair between the arms and attachedV to which or formed integrally with which, is aA seat cover panel 22 which extends over thev` seat' of the chair beneath the usual cushion which isf indicated, at 23 by dotted lines in Figure 2; The rear edge of the seat cover panel 22Y is adapted to be tucked in thev crevice 24 at' the rear of the seat II and such edgeis securedV to, or formedintegrally with, a forward back-rest panel- 2-5. Sufficient excess material is provided at the lower edge ofthe pane1 25 where it is joined to the rear edge of the seat cover panel 22, not only to afford anchorage for the panels by tucking the same into the crevices 24 as above stated, but to provide also for accommodating the panel 25 to back-rests of various heights. For example, a back-rest of lesser height will require more material being tucked into the crevice 24 than where a cover is tted on a chair, the back rest of which is of greater height.

Secured to the upper edge of the forward panel 25, as along a seam 26, is a rear back-rest panel 21 which extends down to adjacent the bottom of the chair. The shoulder cover sections shown in the present illustrative embodiment of the invention are shaped specially to cover the wings I4 of the chair and comprise enclosures for the wings consisting oi forward panels 28 and rear panels 29, said enclosures being open at the lower ends. The panels 28 and 29 of each wing cover section (designated generally by the numeral 39) are secured together along the meeting lateral edges thereof by a seam 30a and at the front and rea-r edges are joined respectively to the adjacent edges of the front and rear back-rest panels 25 and 21. The wing enclosures 30 preferably are stitched along the front and rear edges thereof to the back-rest panels along tubular connecting members 3| which extend from approximately the point indicated at 32 in Figure 2 upwardly over the back-rest and downwardly along the rear of the cover to the lower edge of the latter. Below' the points 32 the panels 28 are free from the panel 25, as indicated in Figure 4 to facilitate adjustment of the wing enclosures and back-rest sections to wings and back-rests of less height than those shown in the drawing. The lower ends of seams 30a preferably are left open also as shown in Figure 4 to facilitate adjustment of the wing enclosures into neatly tting relation at the base of the wings.

The tubular members 3| may be formed of tape and carry strings 33 of cord or the like, The forward ends of the cords are anchored within the members 3| by stitching or the like as indicated at 34, the cords extending from the rear bottom ends of the tubular members 3l sufciently to enable the same to be tied about the rear legs 35 of the chair as indicated at 36 in Figure 5. Upon tightening the cords 33 the vertical edges of the wing cover panels 28 and 29 and the corresponding portions of the panels 25 and 21 are drawn snugly against the upholstery of the chair. Generally the members 3| will lie along the apex of the wing and back-rest angle. Hence where a cover is fitted on a chair the distance across the back-rest of which is somewhat greater than normal the panels 28 of the wing enclosures will be drawn into contacting relation with the chair back rather than spanning the angle formed by the forward faces of the wings and forward surface of the back-rest. Where the transverse dimensions of the back-rest of Ythe chair are somewhat less than average, surplus material in the panels 25 and 21 may be tucked under the members 3| after the strings 33 have been tensioned, thereby providing smooth, neat fitting of the panels on the corresponding portions of the wings. Generally, however, the widths of the back-rests proper do not vary substantially as between chairs of different manufacturers but the width and form of the wings frequently vary materially. Hence, where the improved cover is tted on a chair having relatively narrow wings, as indicated in Figure 3 of the drawing, surplus material of the wing enclosures can be tucked inwardly beneath the adjacent portions of the panels 25 and 21 as indicated :by dotted line 31 in said figure in causing the wing enclosure snugly to t such small size wings. or cords 33 retain the tucked-in portions in the adjusted relation and hence the improved cover can be tted to chairs, the wings of which vary substantially in width. In Figure 1 dotted lines 31a indicate the tucking under of lesser wing cover material than is shown in Figure 3 while in Fig. 2 the dotted line 31h indicates surplus wing material tucked under the panel 25 at the front of the chair back rest.

As mentioned above with respect to Figure 4, the lower ends of the wing enclosures 30 are open and may be tucked into the crevices at the rear ends of the arms I2 or they may be adjusted smoothly over the adjacent portions of the arms and concealed and retained in position by drawing the arm cover panels I6 over the same prior to tying the strings I9 as above described. In Figure 2 dotted lines 38 indicates the adjustment of the lower edges of the wing enclosures 30 over the upper rear surfaces of the arms I2 where they are concealed and retained in position by the superjacent arm cover sections, as above described. Such dispositions of the lower portions of the wing sections 30 and the tucking of the free edges of the lower portion of the panel 25 into the spaces or crevices between the wings and the front of the back rest, provides anchorage suicient to prevent displacement of the cover portions upon tensioning the respective cords.

Where the improved cover is provided with plaits at the lower edge, a plaited section 40 is provided at the lower edge of the forward panel 2| as shown in Figure 2. Each arm cover section I5 is likewise provided with plaits 4| which may be fastened at the forward end by fasteners 42 to the plait Isection 43 upon assembly on a chair, The sections 4| of the arm cover sections are attached to the lower edges of the respective outer panels I8 by stitches 43 which stitches terminate forwardly of the rear corners of the chair as indicated at 44 in Figure 5. The plaited sections 4I are sufficiently long to be adjusted into overlapping relation at the rear of the chair, as indicated lin Figure 1, and secured in such position by means of hooks 45 or the like. Such construction enables the plait sections to be attached permanently to the corresponding slip cover section and to be adjusted to chairs of different longitudinal and transverse dimensions. Thus, in Figure 5 it will be seen that if the chair were somewhat shorter than the chair therein illustrated, more of the panels I5 would be drawn to the back of the chair and likewise more of the plait sections 4| would be drawn to the back of the chair. The plait sections 4| overlap the lower edge of the rear back-rest panel 21, which in turn overlaps the rear edges of the panels I5 as shown in Figure 5. 'Ihe result of such arrangement is to provide neatly tting parts wherein the knots 36 of the tie strings are concealed by the plait sections 4I when the cover has been adjusted to the chair.

While the invention has been described with particular reference to a wing-back chair, it will be apparent that the improvements may be embodied in covers for chairs of various styles, such as club chairs for examplainasmuch as the corresponding strings 33 may be employed in tubular The tension applied to the strings seams which attach the shoulder cover sections to the back-rest panels of such other types of covers thereby enabling surplus material in the shoulder cover sections to be tucked under the taut strings in adjusting the shoulder cover sections neatly over the corresponding portions of a chair. Other variations of the improvements may be utilized without departing from the invention as dened by the appended claims.

I claim:

l. A slip cover for an article of furniture provided with a seat, arms and a back-rest and shoulder portions, comprising a cover section for the scat, cover sections for the arms, front and rear panels connected along the upper edges thereof forming a cover section for the backrest, a cover section for each shoulder connected at the edges of the section to the upper portions of the edges of the front and rear back-rest panels by tubular seams, and tensioning means disposed within said tubular seams for drawing the edges of said panels and each shoulder cover section into close contact with the corresponding portions of the article adjacent the inner margin of the shoulder portions and constituting means for retaining in position excess material of the shoulder cover section tucked beneath the same along said tensioning means.

2. A slip cover for an article of furniture provided with a seat, arms and a back rest having shoulder portions disposed at an angle to the remainder of the back rest, said cover comprising a cover section for the seat, cover sections for the arms, front and rear panels joined along the upper edges the'reof forming a cover section for the back-rest, a cover section for each shoulder portion joined at the edges thereof to the wpper portions of the edges of the front and rear backrest panels by tubular seams, and tensioning means in said tubular seams anchored thereto at the forward end and extending out from the seams at the rear of the cover for attachment to the rear of the article for drawing the edges of said panels and shoulder cover sections into close contact with the corresponding covered portions oi' the article.

3. A slip cover for a wing-back chair comprising a pair of front and rear panels joined at the upper edges to provide a cover section for the front and rear surfaces of the back-rest and of a width extending substantially from wing to wing, cover sections for the wings each secured at front and rear side edges to adjacent portions of said front and rear panels by seams extending upwardly from positions adjacent the lower forward portions of the respective wing cover sections along the edges of the back-rest cover section and down to the lower edge of the rear portion of the wing cover sections, and drawstrings held in place along said seams and anchored at the forward ends to the forward portions of said seam and extending beyond the lower portion of the rear panel for tensioning the cover along the seams so as to cause the seams to lie adjacent the crevice between the wings and the back rest when the rearward ends are attached to the rear portion of the chair.

4. In a slip cover adapted for use on chairs having seats, arms, back-rests, and wings which may vary in width from chair to chair, cover sections for the seat and arms, a cover section for the back-rest comprising front and rear panels joined at the upper edges thereof, enclosures for the wings having front and rear edges attached by tubular seams to the edges of said front and rear panels, and cords in said tubular seams, each cord being anchored at one end to the cover and extending through the seams and out from the seam at the other end for attachment to a portion of the chair whereby said front panel and forward portions of the wing cover sections can be drawn into close contact with the adjacent :portions of the chairand whereby the forward portions of the seams can be drawn into close tting relation with the respective crevices between the wings and back-rest.

LIONEL C. LENZ. 

